Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Seriously it was like a light bulb switched on in her brain and it all made sense. In a matter of minutes she went from sitting for 3 seconds to sitting for 3 minutes. And later that day she sat for 15 minutes straight!

I love this stage because she's so happy. She can scoot on her belly and sit up and look at things and still not move too quickly for me to be worried about her getting into something if I'm not looking for a milli-second.

Oh, and this tongue thing is new, too.This I don't like so much, but oh well.

And as for the crazy night, I don't have a photo of it, thankfully.

Last night, Greg awoke to me saying, "Ah!!!! Something was on my neck and I flicked it onto you!" (accidentally of course, but it was my reflex none-the-less)

(we both scurry to get our glasses because we're blind as bats without them)

"I think it was a spider, it was definitely not a tick (which is the insect which usually finds it's way into our bed....). It stuck to my fingers and I had to flick it."

(Greg is loving this explanation)

We finally spot it on the quilt and it was not a spider.....what was it, you ask?

a CENTIPEDE (which at first I called a caterpillar, but it was 1:15am). It was 4 inches long, black, with tiny little legs.

It was dead still, so Greg left to get a paper to pick it up with. As soon as he left, that thing took off like a lightning bolt. I had no idea it could move so quickly, but Greg was nimble and caught him and threw him in the toilet, where all nasty little insects go.

Immediately, Greg went back to sleep and started sawing logs. Meanwhile, I was on my iPhone googling "centipedes" and learning all about them. At that point, I got nervous because they live in colonies, and I thought our bed might have become such. So, I wake Greg back up and make him get up so we can strip the bed and look everywhere for a colony. Poor guy, but if I hadn't done it, I would've been awake all night with the heebee jeebies, thinking bugs were crawling on me.

No colony and not a house centipede after my extensive research and investigation, so it looks like we're in the clear. Whew!

Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Today, I love that my baby looks over her shoulder to gain my approval.

Today, I see her smile at the sound of my voice.

Today, I'm amazed by how quickly a child can learn.

Most of my day is spent with daily and necessary activities: folding clothes, washing diapers, unloading the dishwasher, working on the computer, answering emails, conference calls, washing diapers, making the bed (sometimes), feeding Claire, did I mention washing diapers?

But, for a brief moment each day, I try to soak in the moment Claire is in knowing that it is so temporary. Whatever she's accomplishing today is old news tomorrow.

I try to take in all her smiles, coos, activities, all while teaching her about the world in which she lives. Teaching her there is a time to play, there's a time to sit, a time to eat, a time to read, a time to sleep. Boy, is there at time to sleep!

There's no shining trophy or certificate to tell you, you're doing a good job as a mom. But, there is the happiness you see in your child's eyes, the obedience they begin to show, and willingness to please you that's so priceless.

Yep, that's my girl.

And, seeing these photos makes me want to go wake her up from her nap so I can give her a squeeze. almost.

Monday, May 16, 2011

Again this month, none of my June kit layouts will have stitching on them because my scrapbook room is completely dismantled. We are making progress, though and soon all the king's horses and all the king's men will put my shelves back together again.

Meanwhile, I'm making layouts in record time and with record amounts of adhesive. One advantage to stitching is that I used to barely apply any adhesive.

This sneak uses the main kit only. That naked chipboard alpha is my favorite in a long time. At first I thought the font was too cutesy for me, but I've really enjoyed using it because it's the perfect size and there are lots of letters.

Here's that same alphabet only I added leaf zing. You can get a peek at one of the exclusive items you'll only find in Studio Calico kits here as well (and I'm not talking about that chicken wire stamp).And this is my favorite layout made with this kit. I love the colors, love the photo, love how I laid it out, and I'm not ashamed to admit it :)

Sunday, May 15, 2011

You've just barely figured out forward motion.(I know this photo is out of focus, but I love it anyway....well, I suppose it's in focus if you want to see her neckline.)

You can get your hiney up a tad bit and pull yourself forward. So fun to watch!To do it, sometimes it requires sticking your tongue out.Lots of talking going on here.And feeling her 1st tooth with her tongue.Mostly, this is the face I see: the classic sucking on your bottom lip.

And this one I just threw in for the cuteness factor.This for the humor.

You're such a good baby. You occupy yourself playing with just about anything I put in front of you. I've been careful not to over-do it with toys, not to give you too much to play with that you don't know how to play.

Here, you are looking at your great-uncle Jody's old shape-sorter. Anyone remember these?

And this swimming motion gets the most comments from your friends.

You're a joy to be with, we couldn't love you any more than we do at this very moment.

Monday, May 9, 2011

I was so flattered to be chosen to be a part of this Creating Keepsakes special issue. It's all about making a place to create in your home. I love that it's not just about scrapbooking because I use my creative space for so much more: gift-wrapping, quilting (okay, so I've only made one quilt), cardmaking, hiding from Claire....you get the idea.

Even if you don't have a space to make an entire room, there's plenty of ideas in here for small cubbies and other neat storage ideas. The folks at CK really pulled out all the stops on this issue, the art inside is gorgeous and the rooms they chose are so different. I was left thinking "I wish I had thought of that!" even though my room was featured.

So, hop on over and get your copy now. There's no time like the present because CK is offering FREE SHIPPING (enter code: SPACESBB at checkout) until May 27. I will remember that because it's the day before my 10th wedding anniversary (insert wink to Greg here).

If you're still not convinced, there's a sneak peek that will surely push you over the edge.

As if that wasn't enough, CK is letting me give a copy away to one of my blog readers. Just leave a comment here for a chance to win. I'll leave this post open until Friday. Good luck!